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Celebrate National Pizza Day!

GoCampingAmerica.com | Posted February 7, 2017

Thursday, February 9 is National Pizza Day, and according to Pizza.com (yes, there is such a thing), Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza a day. That equates to about 350 slices per second, so to help you do your part, we’ve found some great ways for you to make pizza the next time you go camping.

One of the (many) great things about pizza is that it’s so easy to customize to your taste – you can use sausage, beef, pepperoni, chicken or go meatless, and your choice of toppings, from veggies to all types of cheese are virtually endless. Here are a few easy recipes to try:

For convenience, this recipe uses ready-made crusts (like Boboli brand) that come in full size (12”) and personal size (8”).

Spread your favorite sauce, cheese and other toppings on the pre-made crust. Place it on a frying pan, set it on the stove and turn the heat to low. Put a lid over the frying pan so the cheese will melt. As soon as the cheese is melted, it’s done.

Alternate preparation: You can also use your Dutch oven to make pizza. Simply place the crust in the Dutch oven and add your sauce and other ingredients. Place the lid on the oven and put five or six coals on top of the lid. The pizza should be done in about 10 minutes.

This recipe is also based on using a ready-made pizza crust and your favorite sauce, toppings and cheese.

Prepare grill or campfire for indirect cooking. Brush top of prepared pizza crust with a little olive oil. Place the crust directly on the grate, oiled side down, and cook for a minute or two until golden – be careful not to burn it. Remove from heat. Place the crust bottom side down on a double layer of tin foil. Cover the crust with pizza sauce and top sauce with a generous amount of cheese – you’re camping so calories don’t count. Add some parmesan and crushed red pepper if desired. Place pepperoni on top of cheese. Cook on prepared cooking area of grill or campfire for two to six minutes, depending on the temperature of the fire. Pizza is done when the cheese is melted. Tip: To avoid burning the bottom of the crust, you may have to adjust the pizza’s position over your fire.

Enjoying pizza at the campground is even easier when you take the time to do the prep work before you leave home. Just freeze these French bread pizzas after you make them, and then keep them in the cooler at the campground until you’re ready to eat.

Ingredients:

French bread or mini French bread loaves

Softened cream cheese

Grated mozzarella cheese

Pizza or marinara sauce

Toppings such as pepperoni, Canadian bacon, olives, pineapple, mushrooms, bell peppers or sausage

Heavy-duty aluminum foil

Gallon-sized plastic zip bags for storing pizzas

Cut your French bread in half and spread a thin layer of softened cream cheese on the top and bottom sides. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce on top of the cream cheese. Layer your pizza toppings and cheese, and put the top back on your French bread. Wrap with heavy-duty foil at least two times to help the pizza heat more evenly and avoid being burned. Store the pizzas in the plastic zip bags to keep them dry and place them in the freezer. Keep them in a cooler when you camp and thaw them before cooking. To cook them, simply put them on the coals of your fire (instead of the flames). Turn the pizzas a few times to help them cook evenly, about 5-8 minutes on the fire.

Safety note: It’s a good idea to pre-cook any meats you add to your pizzas when camping to make sure that they’re cooked to the proper temperature.

Pre-heat grill to 450-500 degrees. Melt coconut oil and brush on pizza crust. Place pizza crust on a flat pan or piece of aluminum foil to cook. Sprinkle cinnamon on pizza crust. Layer all of the apple pie filling, mini marshmallows, and then chocolate chips on the crust. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes until the chocolate chips are melted and the marshmallows are toasted.